Winner of McAuslan First Book Prize in 2008

Finalist for The Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction in 2008

Tasty, lethal, hallucinogenic, and medicinal – fruits have led nations into wars, fuelled dictatorships, and even lured us into new worlds. Adam Leith Gollner weaves business, science, and travel into a narrative about one of earth’s most desired foods.

Readers will discover why even though countless exotic fruits exist in nature, only several dozen varieties are available in supermarkets. Gollner explores the political machinations of multinational fruit corporations, exposing the hidden alliances between agribusiness and government and what that means for public health. He traces the life of mass-produced fruits – how they are created, grown, and marketed, and he explores the underworld of fruits that are inaccessible, ignored, and even forbidden in the Western world.